Sanitary telephone attachment.



G. E. GRIMM.

SANITARY TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT. APLlcAnoN msn JAN. 2. |911.

PatentedSept. 24,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G. E. GRIMM.

SANITARY TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATTDN FILED JAN. 2. ISH.

Patented'sept. 24,1918.

.2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.`

GEBHARDT E. GRIMM, or coLLINGsWooD, NEW JERSEY.

SANITARY TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT;

Application `filed .Tan nary 2, 1917.

To all whom 'it may concern! Be it known that I, GnRHAnor E. GRMM, acitizen of the United States, residing at Collingswood, in the county ofCamden and State of New Jersey, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Sanitary Telephone Attachments, of which` the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to attachments for telephone mouth pieces, andhas particular reference to an antiseptic attachment adapted to beconnected to the transmitter of the telephone for the purpose ofguarding against contagion of diseases by preventing germs or bacteriafrom lodging and forming a culture ground on the mouth piece, and thus aperson using the transmitter is not exposed to the danger of contractinga disease by coming into contact with a surface which is contaminatedwith contagious germs.

My inventionV has as its object to provide anv antiseptic device fortelephone mouthpieces which may be manufactured and sold at a relativelylow cost, and which may be quicklyV and readily applied to the mouthpieces in such manner that it cannot become liarred or accidentallyknocked from position. My improved attachment is adapted to be folded insuch manner that it is com paratively fiat so that it occupies butrelatively small space, and when shipping the same a `large number maybe packed in a box with the attachments superposed upon each other.` Theattachment is rovided with an easily removable antiseptic diaphragm sothat the-main portion of the device, which serves as a holder for thediaphragm, may

be repeatedly used, it being merely necessary to keep the device in asatisfactory condi- `,tion, to remove the diaphragm from the holder,.and discard the diaphragm at regular intervals, or when it has becomesoiled or contaminated with bacteria.

My .attachment as shown in the several f illustrative. embodimentsherein described comprises, generally, a holder having a front or mainsejction andl .interlocking fingers or fiapsdwhich, when in lockedposition,- are bowed or swelledoutwardly so as to permit the frontsection of the attachment to abut against the front edge of the 'mouthpiece of the transmitter, and the fingers ofthe holder to engage aboutthe converging sides of the mouth ieee, and an antiseptic diaphragmpreferaly of tissuefwhich is removably se- Specication of LettersPatent.

Patented sept. 24, 1918;

Serial No. 140.211.

cured to the holder. If desired, a retaining card may be employed formaintaining the diaphragm upon the holder.

In the drawings, I have illustrated several embodiments of my invention,but it is to be understood that this showing is by way of illustrationonly, and is not restrictive of my invention, for my invention isVsusceptible of various modifications and changes which would be withinthe s irit of the invention without departing fi'om the scope of theappended claims.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a telephonetransmitter as is necessary to illustrate my improved attachment inposition thereon.

Fig. 2 is a front View of one form of my attachment.

Fig. 3 is a rear View of the attachment shown in Fig. 2, the fingers forsecuring the attachment to the mouth piece of the telephone being shownin locked position.

Fig. 4 is an inside view of the attachment shown in Fig. 2, with thelocking fingers in open position.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 5, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 6-6, Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a view of the removable diaphragm with its side edges foldedover.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but dis` closes a slightly differentconstruction.

Fig. 9 is a front View of another embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view taken centrally through Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an inside viewshowing another embodiment of my invention, theholderbeing opened out, and the fingers being broken awa ' 12 is asectional view taken vertically and centrally through Fig. 11.

Fig. 13y is a rear view of another form of holder, one pair or set offingers being shown in locked position. f

Referring Vto the drawings by characters,

like I'characters representing like parts in the several views,designates the holder which comprises a blank of suitable material,prefs' I erably heavy paper or cardboard, f cut to the configurationshown -in Fig. 4,- and folded along transverse ylines to provide-a frontor main section 10 adapted tolgengage i s against the front or forwardedge-"off the" the device is securely attached thereto.

Inli'gs. l to` O the sh i "t'A lingers 12 are disclosedy ashavin-gngtchesl AQn their outer edges, andi thel longer fingers 13 have,,adjacent their freeends, and in their inner or opposed edges,notches'fl, theconstruction being lsuoli that the notches .of one pairof fingers are adaptedto registernwith the notches of the other setgfortthe purposeof. interlocking the lingers, and preferably the endsofthe, longer fingers beyond the notcflies 1 6 are positioned beneath thelfljappll of the shorter. vyoke so as to 'provide va-more effe@ tive'lock.

inthe embodiment disclosed in Fig. 13 1s .illustrated a slightlydifferent form .ofllockimg rneans in;tjhatathe yokelike flap' llf'at oneend. eftheffrontsection is provided with curved ,slots-17,A yvfhiehcorrespond to notches 15 in the-short fingers shown-ih thev precedzing,.f iggl-res,VA and these slots-1are -adaptedto recerve theNiniaffarellyffprojecting 'ears v18 on the free ends of the longfingers'l: In this {figureythe lingers onthe left-hand side are shown inlocked position, but f ior the purposes of illuStIatiomthe earY 18'onthe right-hand linger 13 is shownlas overlying the-s101317. f

It is preferable that the locking yokes, when the fingers 12., aiid'1'3of'z the..eniboii ments show-n 1in Figs. f'l'to arei'nterlock'ed, orthev fears 18 :engage in" the slots 1'7 f in'tle embodiment shown in-13,b uli cout- Wardly, #sof tlrat r the .fronti-"section 10 yoftheholder may be ositioned flatwise against thev'front edge i ci); the"month' piece, aridgtle locking -yokes' encircle l the' convergingiivall-'s or'L thefinonthlpieeelfi erw-'ard vend" of the mouth-piece isthus received betweenfthe yoks 1 and" theffrontseetion fof -ftlieholder, and by this arangementgffdisplaement of 'the attahmentvupon-'the Enrroatlr-piece` is guardedgagaihst" f In the embodimentsshown in'Figslto 10,

making @the 1 distance sfbetween 'the\ notches section,-fand fthe ,linie:which the longer i/OksliS-iolied; @while ain .Eig lathe. flens .lfergreater in length ...than the distance between the slits l174 when thelower yoke is bent over the section 10 and the line front section.

t"It vv'illfbe noted that in the several embodiments, the combinedlength of the ingersffb'etvveen the lines on which -tlie 'y'kes arefoldedoverzandthe point at which they areinterlocked ris greater thanthe longitudinal dimension oftliefirontsetion. .Erei- 7p erably, the lonyer ingers y are of -greater length than the,l TQ11tSiQQt0Hl-0-Adepteltb POtQned overall@ Acentral 0 ening in .the front section-Oefthe holder HB is en. antiseptic. diaphragm. designated generally by the.letter -,D which diaphglll is of any suitable relativelyfiexiblelandgthin material, glazed or inishel ztissue ,paplbe ingpreferable, as lit may be obtainedat. a relatively 'low cost, and yasitiis relaiively smooth, it Will not be easily cQntaminated, or becomesoiled. r,[`,he tissue diaphragm'vvill give a neat .andclea'lfppeflanceto .the device, and, if desired, the lfront, or mainsection l0l M 1n ay. lo e provided ,with a v'suitable advertisement .or,legend- Whichmiaya be `observed throngh the diaphragm. 1I havefonndthat the transmission' cgtV sound is' not materially interferedv-fvvith .by inte'rposih'g the diaphragm between the speaker andf Waveresponsive mechanism of theztelephgfe, for Ithe tissu-e will vibrateto-correctly transmit the.: .Sound Waves receivedby it to thetransmitter.

The diaphragm D zmay be removably secured to the holderl-v in a 'varietyoffways, and as illustrative yofthe various "changes which may bemadeinmyattachmena have shown several diierent 'ioijiinsg ofat achingmeans. in :Figs 1 wie the daphragrn D. -comprises .azsheet of;tissuepaper having lside lfolds. or lflaps i19'rwhih mayliestrengthened, as show-n- 1n`Fig.f"6,`f-vvitl 1"strips thesideedges ofthefront seeti'n'i" l VY115 lTo retairptjhe' zflaps-- 1'9 againstrWithdrawal from around. the' side ed Tes? of` the Alioliiei I provide,'as shovvniin i'gs. l-t-ogSflf'fand 12,-.-a` retaining"cardE C, `whichcomprisefsta a-tfsheet of relatively sti inaterial,slclf`as thick paper,voi' ithincardboard# and `this sheet isfof 'substantially fthe same size)as theV front sectionA of thehold'er l The fea-rd Gis .provided nwith:a 'central''iopening 'Which'A is adapted to'registervviththeopen-ing''T4 l o'f 125 the holder, andffit is yflartliefr xprovitl-edwith tabs y"211 ,at itsfopposite 'end'siwhichl engage in nothes ,orblotscu't in'fth'ehblder fpr'efera-bly along theflines ion which ith-eydkje'sv C has one tab at each endin Fig. 8, it has two tabs at eachend; While in Fig. 11, the

card is disclosed as having two tabs at its lower end, `and one at itsupper end or edge, but it is, of course, to be understood that anynumber of tabs may be used, and any suitable combination of tabs may beem ployed. The apertures 22 in the holder should correspond, of course,with the nurnber of tabs on the card.

When the embodiments of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 lio-8 areemployed, the diaphragm D is positioned on the front face of the mainsection 10 of the holder H with the iaps 19 about the side edges of thesectionv 10. The card is positioned against the inner face of the mainsection 10 with the tabs 21 engaging in the respective apertures 22 inthe holder, and the flaps 19 are interposed and clamped between theholder I'I and the card C. It will thus be seen that a soiled orcontaminated diaphragm may be easily replaced with a new one, it beingmerely necessary to remov`e the attachment from the mouth-piece bywithdrawing the lingers from locked position, remove the card C andsoiled diaphragm, position a new diaphragm upon the front face of themain section, and then insert the card in position. If desired, theflaps 19 of the diaphragm may be inserted between the front section andthe card without removing the latter from the holder, the holder andcard being flexible enough to permit this operation.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 9 and 10 the card C is dispensed with,and the diaphragm D is illustrated as having end flaps or tabs 26, whichtabs or flaps are adapted to engage in the apertures 22 of the holder.

In Figs. 11 and 12, I have shown the diaphragm D as comprising arectangular sheet of tissue devoid of tabs and positioned between thefront section 10 of the holder and the card C. The card C, in thisinstance, has two tabs 21 at its lower end, andlone 'tab at its upperend, which tabs are adapted to engage in the notches or slots in theholder. Positioned over the front face of the main section 10 of theholder is a cover 23 of celluloid or other suitable smooth material, thecover having side flaps 24 embracing the edges of the front section, andthe edges of the diaphragm D are positioned under the side flaps 24 ofthe cover. The side liaps 24C are adapted to be inserted between thecard C and the holder H, so that the cover is maintained againstdisplacement. The Celluloid cover has a central opening which is adaptedto register with the openings in the holder and card,r so that thetransmission of sound is not interfered with. It is, of course, to beunderstood that the cover 23 may he of any suitable material, but,preferably, the same is composed of white celluloid, as this lends aneat appearance to the attachment, and the celluloid cover may be Washedor cleansed whenever desired.

What I claim as new is:

1. An attachment for telephones having a holder comprising a mainsection adapted to engage against the front edge of the telephone mouthpiece and fingers connected to the opposite ends of the main section,the fingers at one end of the main section being adapted to interlockwith the fingers at. the other end.

2. An attachment for telephones compris ing a holder having a mainsection provided with yokes at its opposite ends, the yokes at one endof the main section being adapted to interlock with the fingers at theother end, the yokes when interlocled being adapted to bulge away fromthe holder so as to embrace the walls of the mouth-piece of thetelephone transmitter; and a diaphragm attached to said holder.

3. An attachment for telephones comprising a holder having a mainsection, relatively long fingers at one end, and relatively shortfingers at the other end, said fingers havin notches the location ofwhich is such that t e combined length of the fingers between thenotches and the fixed end of the fingers is greater than the length ofthe.' holder so that said lingers when lnterlocked bulge away from theholder to embrace the Walls of the mouth-piece of the telephonetransmitter.

l. An attachment for telephones comprising a holder, a flexiblediaphragm having tabs or flaps on its opposite edges adapted to engageabout the edges of the holder, and means for securing the holder to thetelephone mouth-piece.

5. An attachment for telephones comprising a holder having slots, amember havin tabs adapted to engage in said slots, an means for securingthe holder to the mouthpiece of the telephone.

6. An attachment for telephones comprising a holder, a removablediaphragm on the ho der, a retaining card adapted to be secured `to theholder and clamp the diaphragm in position thereon, and locking meansfor securing the holder to the mouthpiece.

n 7. An attachment for telephones comprislng, a holder having apertures,a removable dlaphragm, a retaining card having tabs adapted to engage inthe apertures of the h older for securing the diaphragm in position, andlocking means for securing the attachment to a telephone mouth-piece.

8. An attachment for telephones, comprislng a holder, a removable memberhavin its ends folded over to provide side flaps w ich embrace the sideedges of the holder, and

